Even as the availability of mental health services increases, most people still struggle to get the help they need with more than half not receiving any treatment at all. Connecting those in need of treatment with the services best suited for them and managing the process across multiple providers is as important as the services themselves.
Currently, providers are on their own to promote their services and establish relationships with other providers which makes it difficult for consumers to find and determine which services are best for them. Organizing resources into regional networks coordinated by central hubs will create a one-stop-shop of mental health and addiction resources. Hubs also have the advantage of streamlining interaction between regional networks to share resources.
The need for improvement of our mental health and addiction system is immediate and due to the pandemic, growing. Regional networks as described above will help bring order to the currently chaotic system. Unfortunately, similar reform attempts have failed in other states due to bureaucratic overhead and organizations clinging to the status quo.
In response, the Infinite Campus Foundation has created a competition to encourage innovation in the marketplace. The winner will receive a million-dollar prize, logistical support, and access to other resources. The prize will be awarded to an eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit or consortium of nonprofits who can best demonstrate their ability to: